Rohit Sharma makes history by becoming the oldest man to play an ODI for India

Former Indian captain Rohit Sharma etched his name in the record books after becoming the oldest cricketer to represent India in One Day Internationals. Rohit delivered the performance during the rain-curtailed first ODI against Afghanistan on Saturday, June 13 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala.

At 39 years and 75 days, Rohit broke the long-standing record held by former India all-rounder Mohinder Amarnath, who was 39 years and 36 days when he played his last ODI for India in 1989. The milestone is yet another notable achievement in Rohit’s illustrious international career, which has seen him become one of India’s most successful captains and batsmen.

India vs Afghanistan 1st ODI | Update | Scorecard

However, Rohit is not the oldest Indian combination to feature in ODIs. This record belongs to former Indian fast bowler Jhulan Goswami, who played her farewell ODI against England at Lord’s in 2022 at the age of 39 years and 303 days. Notably, no Indian cricketer has represented the country in ODIs above the age of 40.

Rohit had to endure a long wait before taking the field as persistent rain delayed the start of the game in Dharamsala. The game, which was originally scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m., ended up starting at 5:45 p.m., forcing the officials to reduce it to 25 overs per side.

Rohit is expected to be part of India’s ODI World Cup campaign next year. If he features in the tournament, he could become the first Indian cricketer to play ODI cricket above the age of 40.

Playing XI for India vs Afghanistan 1st ODI

Afghanistan: Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (w), Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Saleem Safi, AM Ghazanfar, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi

India: Shubman Gill(c), Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harsh Dubey, Gurnoor Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna

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Issued by:

sabyasachi chowdhury

Published on:

13 Jun 2026 17:37 IST